Dry spell

I know there has been kind of a dry spell in my blogging lately. I'm thankful for those of you who are checking in anyway. We are just living life. The past couple months have been challenging me to rely on God and His promise to uphold me with His right hand. I'm so thankful that He loves me even when I don't deserve it. Sometimes, I feel like parenthood brings out the worst in me. It definitely makes me aware of my less than stellar traits. Thankful that His parenting skills are much better than mine and that my Father's love is an example for me in parenting.
I know I keep saying this, but I really do hope to get back to regular blogging soon. There are a couple topics on my heart right now.

Attitude? Oh, my.... and some Thanksgiving pics

Yesterday was Friday. And the Friday night tradition at our house is pizza in the living room while watching a movie and cookies for dessert. Last week was the first time that Miss Maia fed herself pizza that I had cut up in small pieces for her, we were all pretty excited for our sweet girl. Last night, Maia ate her pizza all by herself again. I tried giving her a couple of pieces, but Maia wanted nothing to do with that. When it came time for dessert, I attempted to feed Maia. Ummm, NOPE! And when it was time for medication, Miss Maia let her displeasure show. Why?  Because she wanted to do those things for herself. The attitude and independence came through strong and clear - no question about it. Wouldn't take a bite unless she fed herself and even though she wasn't able to manage her medicine alone, Maia tried to take it herself. Love seeing that sense of determination come through!!

We spent Thanksgiving Day with my family.

Only one picture to share of the day... Maia with Grandpa Jerry.

 

I did remember my camera today when we went to Mark's parents to celebrate Thanksgiving with them, so here are some pics of the day.

 

Sweetie girl

 

Gavin sporting his new red cast

 

Betsy and Maia

 

Hmmm... maybe Scooter is ok after all.

 

My Ukranian princess

 

Getting some love from Papa

 

Matthew with his new best friend John

 



So blessed to be able to spend time with both of our families this weekend and thankful for them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

So many thoughts come to mind on this Thanksgiving morning. There is a beautiful sunrise appearing behind the trees as I look out the window and I am thankful for the reminders of God's love that appear in our world every day if we just take the time to see them.

Friendship is always at the top of my list of things to thank God for and today is no different. We have been blessed with friends far and near who have encouraged us, supported and loved us as we traveled unexpected paths this year. A couple of bloggy friends have been special gifts from my Heavenly Father - Jane and Pat, you are dear to my heart!

Family is so important to Mark and me.  We are thankful for our families every.single.day! And to have family close enough to spend time with them today is wonderful!

Health is at the top of our list this year as well. After Maia's illness, we do not take health lightly. I am thankful for the progress that Maia has made over the past five months and that she has remained overall healthy since leaving the hospital in August. The health of our family and friends is also something we pray for and thank God for.

"Enough..." I am thankful that God has given us more than enough, more than I need or probably deserve. I often gripe about things that are so insignificant when in fact, God has given us an adundant life. So many people are struggling right now... unemployment, loss of loved ones, marital difficulties, depression, health issues. If any of you who read this are feeling adrift in life and alone, I am praying that God will wrap His arms around you right at this very moment. That you will feel the fullness of His love and mercies today.

And most of all, I am thankful for God. He sustains me, He cares for me, He is faithful, He is constant, and HE IS GOD!

Finding good in the midst of the challenges

I will be honest, I have not spent a great deal of time searching for the positive things that have come out of Maia's illness. I'm slowly learning to praise God in all situations, but it isn't always easy. Thankfully, my heavenly Father is patient with me, reminding me to stop and look for His blessings when things are difficult. Although I would never choose to live through the past six months again, God has given us a gift that we would likely not have experienced otherwise.

Maia's adjustment to life in our family went well overall. For Maia and me, bonding was not instantaneous, but occurred more gradually. Our trip back to Ukraine for Matthew's adoption was such a great opportunity to spend time together and strengthen our relationship. But, we still continued to see some of the effects of her years in the institution.

Maia's illness resulted in regression back to around the 6 month old level. And from an attachment and bonding standpoint, I think that has actually been beneficial - for all of us. Because she has been so dependent, Mark and I have had the opportunity to do some of those things that parents do when interacting with their infant children: snuggling, touch, eye contact, feeding, etc.

And I am praising God for this blessing! BTW... I think we are close to another word. "Kitty" or "kitty cat" may be Miss Maia's next word(s). WOOHOO!

Sunday funnies

Need a giggle for your day? These might bring a smile to your face.

• Last week at church, the congregation was singing a hymn. Matthew loves to "sing" along, making up the words as he goes. There was a brief interlude of music between verses during which Matthew entertained us with "Old McDonald!"
• Today, we had a children's sermon. Pastor Mark asked the kids to tell him things that they were not very good at doing. Matthew's very loud response?  "Being QUIET!"
• We spent the afternoon playing. Matthew was the knight, rescuing Maia the princess from the castle and the dragon (alternately played by Mark and I). When we weren't the dragon, Mark or I was the trusty horse. A fun time was had by all, although mom ended the day with a headache and very possible black eye as the fearless knight slayed the dragon for the last time.

Saturday night and I'm waiting for Mark and the kids to get home from Nana and Papa's house. It's nice to have a little bit of quiet to think about the past twenty-four hours and what I can take a way from the Hearts at Home conference.

Last night was "Mom's Night Out." The main portion of the evening was an comedy, improv group. 3 guys in a crowd of over 2700 women. I felt a bit bad for them as they asked for ideas for their show and were given suggestions related to breast feeding, bladder leakage after childbirth, etc. But, I can not remember the last time that I laughed so hard. My cheeks still hurt tonight. They were wonderful and such good sports!

This morning, our main session was by JimBob and Michelle Duggar of the 19 Kids and Counting Fame. Following that, I attended their breakout session for parenting tips. Now admittedly, I can't really relate to 19 kids... But, their ideas are not specific to big families. And they really made me think about how I interact with my own kiddos.

There were a couple of good sessions about finances and raising kids to be grateful/thoughtful in this era of consumerism. This also really changed my perspective on some of the things that we do without a second thought and gave me some motivation to change.

I think the biggest thing I came away with was just reassurance that I am not alone. In my day-to-day life, I often feel like other moms have it so much more together than I do. You know... the ones who make parenting look so easy. Perfect makeup and hair, perfect outfit, kids dressed adorably and behaving well. Me? I'm always looking frumpy, frazzled, and praying that the kids will not do something like wiping their nose on the person sitting next to them. Today, I was reassured that I am not the only one who collapses at the end of the day wondering how messed up my kids are going to be as a result of my less than perfect parenting. I'm not the only one who feels inadequate and sometimes alone in this journey. I was given the gift of fellowship with other Christian women whose desire is to serve the Lord while also serving their families. What a blessing!

Thankful Thursday

- This weekend, I will be attending the Hearts at Home conference. I'm looking forward to fellowship with other Christian moms, time for renewal and rejuvenation, and the opportunity to hear amazing women like Michelle Dugger! Thankful for my hubby who encouraged me to go even though it means he doesn't get his usual weekend break from the kids.
- Thankful for Mark's cousin Janelle who told me about the conference. Attending last year was wonderful!
- Thankful for the opportunity to have lunch with my friend Jo today. Was fun to visit... It's been way too long!
- Thankful for the smiles on my kids' faces when I come home at night. And again, thankful for that wonderful hubby who fed them and got them ready for bed tonight because I was working late.
- Thankful for God's love and His promises. How blessed I am to be called His child!